BBMP Finance team cries foul over RTI penalties

Finance Dept protests to State Information Commissioner; says it can’t be held responsible for information that engineering dept or mayor’s office may have

Is Karnataka State Information Commissioner doing injustice to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)? It seems so, if the letter written by the Deputy Controller (Finance) and Public Information Officer of the BBMP is anything to go by.

“I want to bring to your notice about the indiscriminate penalties imposed by you on the Accounts Department for failing to provide information on the subjects that are not connected to it. I expect you not to impose such penalties on the Accounts Department in future. I hope you to take action against those departments that are responsible for not providing information for Right to Information (RTI) queries,’’ says Shashidhar, Deputy Controller (Finance) and Public Relations Officer, BBMP, in a letter to the Karnataka State Information Commissioner on January 3, 2019.

According to the BBMP sources, some RTI activists seek information from the Accounts Department for which it is not responsible. “There are a few RTI activists who seek information on technical issues that come under the engineering department. We simply cannot provide such information. But the State Information Commissioner has been imposing penalty on us for no fault,’’ says Shashidhar.

He cites the instance of an RTI activist who sought information on the flyover near National College. He wanted the details on programme of works, estimate copy, measurement book, vouchers, photographs, and the quality certificate of jelly, sand, cement, steel and other material used for the construction of the flyover. “We filed an affidavit stating that we do not have the information. Yet, the Karnataka State Information Commissioner imposed a penalty of on us,’’ Shashidhar points out.

Another RTI activist sought the information on the Deputy Mayor Indira’s fund and the amount sanctioned by her and the ward-wise list of the works taken up with such funds. “He has also sought the certified copies of request letters received from the members, MLAs, and nominated members. The RTI activist has to approach the Deputy Mayor’s Office, instead of coming to us,’’ he adds.

Meanwhile, B H Veeresh, a RTI activist, has said that BBMP authorities are not providing information on developmental works and auditing of the accounts. “It is the duty of the Accounts Department to send such queries to the concerned departments. The BBMP authorities have shut down the RTI cell. It has become difficult for the public to seek information from the BBMP,’’ Veeresh says.

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